Police Pursuit Causes School Lockdowns

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SAN LEANDRO (BCN) – A crash stemming from a police pursuit from Oakland into San Leandro Wednesday morning prompted the brief lockdown of two elementary schools when suspects fled from the car, authorities said.

The pursuit started in Oakland around 8 a.m. and ended a short time later in San Leandro when the car crashed at the intersection of Bancroft and Dutton avenues, San Leandro police Lt. Jeff Tudor said.

Tudor said he did not know what prompted the pursuit, but said two suspects ran from the car after the crash.

One suspect was caught right away, while the other fled into nearby yards, Tudor said.

During the search, police ordered the lockdown of two nearby schools “just to be on the safe side of things,” he said.

Washington Elementary School at 250 Dutton Ave. and Roosevelt Elementary School at 951 Dowling Blvd. were shut down at about 8:10 a.m. due to the incident, San Leandro Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Cathey said.

The lockdown at Roosevelt was lifted around 8:45 a.m. and at Washington shortly after 9 a.m. when the schools were given the all-clear, Cathey said.

“Students and staff did an excellent job following lockdown procedures,” she said.

Tudor did not know if the second suspect had been apprehended and said Oakland police are handling the case. Oakland police were not immediately available for comment.